Jackbit & Joltz hopes to open in late January

Update (rewrite throughout): Just spoke to Dan Batto, owner of Jackbit & Joltz on Lark Street in Albany. The Australian-themed coffee-and-sandwiches shop originally was scheduled to debut July 1. (History here.)

It endured major delays as a result of being in the basement of a condo building; according to Batto, after the condo board approved the restaurant, residents on the upper floors raised aesthetic and olfactory concerns about ventilation and ductwork for fryers and stoves. As a result, Batto had to buy expensive ventless appliances.

He’s hoping for a Jan. 26 opening to coincide with Australia Day, a national-pride holiday Down Under.